Char separator and method

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing reusable fuel wherein the apparatus comprises a support body and a plurality of augers disposed within the support body. The augers may be configured to rotate against a vapor flow to clean carbon char from vapors comprising condensable and non-condensable hydrocarbons. A drive system may be connected to drive and control the plurality of augers. An exhaust system is connected to the support body. A gearbox housing is connected to the exhaust system, wherein the drive system is accommodated in the gearbox housing. A ventilation system is disposed within the gearbox housing. Additionally, a thermal expansion system may be connected to the support body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.15/628,844, entitled “CHAR SEPARATOR AND METHOD”, filed Jun. 21, 2017,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/477,312,entitled “CHAR SEPARATOR,” filed Apr. 3, 2017, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/318,178, entitled “CHARSEPARATOR,” filed Jun. 21, 2016. The entire contents and disclosures ofthese patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

This application makes reference to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/319,768, filed Jun. 21, 2016, entitled “BAG PRESS SEPARATOR”; U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/479,560, filed Apr. 5, 2017, entitled“BAG PRESS SEPARATOR”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/054,903,filed May 12, 2016, entitled “CYCLONIC CONDENSING AND COOLING SYSTEM”;International Application No. PCT/IB2017/052811, filed May 17, 2017,entitled “CYCLONIC CONDENSING AND COOLING SYSTEM”; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/062,319, filed Jul. 8, 2016, entitled “HEATEDAIRLOCK FEEDER UNIT”; International Application No. PCT/IB2017/053667,filed Jun. 20, 2017, entitled “HEATED AIRLOCK FEEDER UNIT”; U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/493,445, filed Jul. 5, 2016, entitled“CONVERTING WASTE PLASTIC INTO FUEL”; U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/593,579, filed May 12, 2017, entitled “CYCLONIC CONDENSING ANDCOOLING SYSTEM”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/757,227, filed Dec.8, 2015, entitled “HEATED AIRLOCK FEEDER UNIT”; U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/089,617, filed Dec. 9, 2014, entitled “FEEDINGREACTOR/EXTRUDER”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/089,628, filedDec. 9, 2014, entitled “CYCLONIC CONDENSATION SYSTEM”; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/964,521, filed Dec. 9, 2015; U.S. PatentApplication filed Dec. 9, 2015, entitled “HEATED AIRLOCK FEEDER UNIT”;U.S. Application filed Dec. 9, 2015, entitled “CYCLONIC COOLING SYSTEM”;U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/270,565, filed Dec. 21, 2015,entitled “BAG PRESS FEEDER”; U.S. Provisional Application filed Dec. 13,2015, entitled “CHAR SEPARATOR”; U.S. Provisional Application No.62/089,635, filed Dec. 9, 2014, entitled “RADIANT AIR CHILLER”. Theentire contents and disclosures of these patent applications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a device and method for heatexchanged technology. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus andmethod that is part of a re-useable fuel processing unit that allows forthe absorption of char contained within vapor for processing andrefining as it exists the reactor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of feeder airlock systems in re-useable energy apparatus isknown. Examples of known devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,666 toAmrein et. al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,784 to Tailor, and U.S. Pat. No.3,129,459 to Kullgren et. al. These patents teach airlocks with sidegates (Amrein et. al.), a rotary feeder to an airlock using vanes(Tailor), and an extruder using electric heat (induction) (Kullgren).The Tailor device teaches a rotary style apparatus in which steel vanesare mounted to a shaft and spin inside a machined round housing. Anopening is in the top and bottom of the housing to allow material toflow in and out of the housing. The vanes block the difference pressuresbetween the inlet and outlet. However, multiple limitations exist withinthis design. A first limitation is that the prior art re-useable energyapparatus will not tolerate heat as the disclosed structural design ofthe prior art will expand and allow internal pressures to leakoutwardly. Another limitation is that the vanes act as pockets and alsocarry the atmosphere from the inlet to the outlet. A third limitationconcerns the rotation velocity. The rotation velocity must be slow toallow time for the material to fall out of the discharge or materialwill be carried back around and prevent refill from the inlet. A forthlimitation is that prior art devices will not allow for a moltenmaterial, e.g., such as hot plastic, to traverse therethrough.

The Amrein device discloses a feeder airlock system using two valves,with a hopper or pipe between them to allow material fill. Although thisdesign tolerates heat, it allows the atmosphere to enter the feeder fromthe inlet and pass through to the discharge. This is a limitation asatmospheric gases may not be allowed in some processes as they willcause problems downstream. A second limitation with this device is thatit will not allow for a molten material like hot plastic traversingtherethrough.

The Kullgren device teaches an induction heated extruder. This extruderemploys induction heating with the use of electric coils. Limitationswith this apparatus are that it does not create an airlock so it doesnot allow for the continuous feeding of plastic material and it requiresa thick long barrel that requires very high horsepower to achieve theinternal pressure and heat necessary to melt the plastic, translatinginto a high power requirement.

Problems exist in prior art re-useable energy apparatus when particularcarbon char is required to be removed from the fuel in order to producea higher quality fuel. The prior art typically uses the followingmethods to remove char from liquid fuel: filtering to remove largerparticulate matter from the fuel, but filters will become clogged andrequire periodic cleaning; distillation which can remove 99.9% of thecarbon matter, but distillation is a sub-process outside the reactorthat raises the cost of producing the re-useable fuel; cyclone systemsare often used and try to remove most of the particles but can onlyremove large particles and the cyclone requires a heat source to preventthe vapors from condensing and forming liquid that re-collect the char;and, bag filters that are to limited to the heat the filter bags canwithstand and will fail if they absorb liquid fuel.

Thus, there is a need for producing a more efficient re-useable energyapparatus that provides capability for optimizing usable and re-usablefuel vapors. There is also a need for providing improved systems thatreduce and/or eliminate contaminants without employing addedexpenditures of additional equipment or additional filtering processesfor achieving the same.

SUMMARY

According to first broad aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for processing reusable fuel comprising a support body; aplurality of augers disposed within the support body; a drive systemconnected to drive and control the plurality of augers; an exhaustsystem connected to the support body; a gearbox housing connected to theexhaust system, wherein the drive system is accommodated in the gearboxhousing; and a ventilation system disposed within the gearbox housing.

According to a second broad aspect, the present invention provides anapparatus for processing reusable fuel comprising a support body; aplurality of screw-type augers disposed within the support body; a drivesystem connected to drive and control the plurality of augers; a gearboxhousing, wherein the drive system is accommodated in the gearboxhousing; a ventilation system disposed within the gearbox housing; andan exhaust system, wherein the exhaust system is attached at one end tothe support body and the exhaust system is attached at another end tothe gearbox housing; wherein the plurality of augers are configured torotate against a vapor flow to clean carbon char from vapors comprisingcondensable and non-condensable hydrocarbons.

According to a third broad aspect, the present invention provides amethod for cleaning carbon char from vapors in a reactor comprisingreceiving a vapor flow of condensable and non-condensable hydrocarbonswithin a support body; controlling the temperature within the supportbody; rotating a plurality of augers disposed within the support bodyagainst the vapor flow, wherein respective flights of each of theplurality of augers intersect each other; and discharging lower carbonvapors from the support body as reusable fuel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and, together with the general description given above andthe detailed description given below, serve to explain the features ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a re-useable energy apparatusaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an assembled view and an exploded view of a heatedairlock feeder of the re-useable energy apparatus of FIG. 1 according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an assembled view and an exploded view of a charseparator of the re-useable energy apparatus of FIG. 1 according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions

Where the definition of terms departs from the commonly used meaning ofthe term, applicant intends to utilize the definitions provided below,unless specifically indicated.

It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only andare not restrictive of any subject matter claimed. In this application,the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically statedotherwise. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In thisapplication, the use of “or” means “and/or” unless stated otherwise.Furthermore, use of the term “including” as well as other forms, such as“include”, “includes,” and “included,” is not limiting.

For purposes of the present invention, the term “comprising”, the term“having”, the term “including,” and variations of these words areintended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elementsother than the listed elements.

For purposes of the present invention, directional terms such as “top,”“bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “left,” “right,”“horizontal,” “vertical,” “up,” “down,” etc., are used merely forconvenience in describing the various embodiments of the presentinvention. The embodiments of the present invention may be oriented invarious ways. For example, the diagrams, apparatuses, etc., shown in thedrawing FIG.s may be flipped over, rotated by 90° in any direction,reversed, etc.

For purposes of the present invention, a value or property is “based” ona particular value, property, the satisfaction of a condition, or otherfactor, if that value is derived by performing a mathematicalcalculation or logical decision using that value, property or otherfactor.

For purposes of the present invention, it should be noted that toprovide a more concise description, some of the quantitative expressionsgiven herein are not qualified with the term “about.” It is understoodthat whether the term “about” is used explicitly or not, every quantitygiven herein is meant to refer to the actual given value, and it is alsomeant to refer to the approximation to such given value that wouldreasonably be inferred based on the ordinary skill in the art, includingapproximations due to the experimental and/or measurement conditions forsuch given value.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “ambient airtemperature” refers to generally to the temperature of the surroundingenvironment and more particularly the temperature of the surroundingenvironment of the disclosed cyclonic condensing and cooling system.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “fractionation”refers to the separating of a mixture of hydro-carbon chains into agroup of carbon chains or fractionations.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “substantially”refers to a great or significant extent; for the most part; essentially.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “thermal cracking”refers to a process used typically by refineries to break down carbonchains of petroleum compounds so that a desired carbon compound can beachieved. This process typically involves high heat, distillation,re-boiling, and energy intensive cooling processes.

Description

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It shouldbe understood, however that it is not intended to limit the invention tothe particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and the scope of the invention.

This application relates to an apparatus that is part of a re-useablefuel processing unit. Plastic waste material may be shredded and fed,for example, into a pyrolysis reactor. Applying heat above 350 degreesCelsius will cause the shredded plastic material to melt and vaporize.In one disclosed embodiment, the heated airlock feeder or system is theapparatus in which the shredded plastic material is fed into thepyrolysis reactor. It has been discovered that the prior art did notpreviously allow for the continuous feeding of heated plastic into thefeeder while maintaining an air lock. In an exemplary design, disclosedembodiments may include the following equipment as described below:

Existing gear boxes, designed as short as possible to reduce materialand labor on fabrication, have limited function with this utility patentapplication, as the short gear boxes are limited on taking a cantileverload as the force of trying to hold a long heave shaft puts extremepressure on the leading bearing resulting is reduction of the life ofthe bearing or requiring a heavy duty bearing to handle the force. If aheavy duty bearing is used, this results in a larger bearing creatinglarge pockets in the gear box housing. The larger pocket reduces theability of the housing to support the bearing, so in turn the housingwill be made thicker. This increases the cost of a standard gear box.This design extends the space between the bearings and reduces load onthe bearings. By spacing the bearings further apart, the cantilever loadis reduced, the bearing size can be smaller and the housing can bethinner, reducing the overall cost and improving the performance. Thefurther apart the points on connection on the bearings, the straighterthe alignment on the shafts, reducing wear and increasing the life ofthe gear box;

A flat bar attached between the cart and the frame that allows for theapparatus to expand and contract due to heat transfer as this apparatusincorporates thinner material in the reactor allowing for better heattransfer;

Multiple thermal regions employed, for example, as two heater zones,allowing plastic material to be transformed from a solid and shreddedstate to a liquid state; the solid and shredded plastic material at thestart of the feeder and the liquid state at the end of the feeder.Between the shredded solid state and the liquid state exists plasticmaterial in a molten state. The molten plastic material is thick andsticky and allows for the formation of the required pressure to createthe airlock necessary to keep air from entering the reactor; and,

The use of vapor gas (natural gas or syn-gas) and clamshell burnersallowing for the external heat to be allowed in the processing of theplastic material whereas prior art used electric heater bands andinternal pressure, resulting in high power consumption, to produce theheat required to process the plastic material. The use of vapor gas andclamshell burners allows for less power consumption, faster processingtime, and more accurate and consistent heat production.

The use of clamshell burners allows heat to be generated over the entireexterior surface of the penetrating pipe and allowing for access to thereactor tube. The use of the clamshell burners allows for a low profileto the interior reactor reducing the amount of space between the heatsource and the penetrating pipe surface, increasing the heat transferwithout increasing the BTU value required by a burner system. Theclamshell design combines both convection heat and radiant heatproducing an even heat source around the penetrating pipe. The combiningof the two types of heat is accomplished with the use of a perforatedscreen running the entire length of the penetrating tube and one thirdof the way up on the bottom inside of the clamshell burners. This designalso prevents hotspots that normally occur in burner boxes. Anotherdifference in this system compared to existing systems is that theigniting source is inside the clamshell burner box next to theperforated screen. The system contains flame sensors as well as a fanpressure switch to ensure airflow. Dual gas streams are used byadjusting the gas quantity or the air quantity, whereas existing systemsuse complicated air control dampers to adjust the air and gas ratio thatmay cause uneven burning of the fuel creating irregular flame size. Theclamshell design that is part of the heated airlock feeder is not linedwith refractory on all surfaces, but only on the top half of theclamshell. The fact that the lower half of the clamshell is not linedwith refractory allows any heat buildup to dissipate through the entirebox surface. This design also reduces the chance of auto-ignition of themixed gas.

Disclosed embodiments allow the application of back pressure to the feedmaterial between the cold material and the heated, melting material(molten plastic). The main components of the heated airlock feedersystem are the drive, coupling, gearbox, augers, housing, clamshellburner boxes, expansion cart, and support frame. FIG. 1 depicts theentire assembly of the re-usable energy reactor system 100. FIG. 2depicts the heated airlock feeder 200 that is part of the entireassembly of the re-useable energy reactor system. A drive system maycomprise a helical gear drive FIG. 2 at 59 with a high torque ratio.Gear drive 59 is selected with a vertical footprint to reduce thesystem's overall length. This drive may be connected to sheer coupling.The coupling is designed to separate under overloading conditions toprotect the gearbox.

In an exemplary embodiment, the coupling consists of two augers FIG. 2at 51 which may be custom constructed. In a select embodiment, augers 51are a machined three-part system. The first part of the augers is thedrive shafts wherein one drive shaft may be longer than the second driveshaft. These are elongated axially rotatable. The middle section of theaugers are elongated, axially rotatable screws each having an elongatedshaft with outwardly extending helical flighting along the one-half ofthe length of each shaft starting at the gear box and connecting to aaxially rotating smooth surface auger where the smooth part of eachauger at the output side of the apparatus are machined so that the spacebetween each auger and the elongated tubular barrel housing is less than1 inch.

Augers 52 are located inside 53 of FIG. 2 which is inside 61 of FIG. 2 .One auger has left-hand flights; the other auger has right hand flightsthat overlap the left hand flights. One of the augers 51 of FIG. 2 islonger than the other to protrude through the gearbox and connect to thedrive coupling located in the gear box 57 of FIG. 2 . The augers areconstructed from solid materials with connection slips for machiningpurposes. The augers are constructed in segments to reduce the materialand labor cost to fabricate the assembly. The segments are alsointerchangeable for simpler fabrication. The gear drives in the gearbox57 are keyed into the shaft and sealed on both sides. The gearboxconsists of double lip seals, bearings and spur gears. The length of thegearbox is extended to carry the cantilever load of the screw flightsFIG. 2 at 51 and 52.

All surfaces are machined on the contacting side of both items 51 and 52of FIG. 2 after welding. The housing 53 of FIG. 2 is pre-welded beforemachining the interior to require a straight design. The connectingflanges at both ends and the inlet match the gearbox and the reactorbolt pattern. FIG. 2 at 54 is machine tapered to reduce the outlet areato increase back pressure inside the heated airlock feeder (FIG. 2 ).This feeder assembly is welded to a reactor matching flange 55 of FIG. 2and then welded to the body 53. Item 52 of FIG. 2 is welded to item 51of FIG. 2 and then the entire assembly slides through the body 53 ofFIG. 2 and protrudes flush to the end 54 of FIG. 2 at the outlet ports.The gearbox and the assembly housing rest on the support frame at 67 ofFIG. 2 . This assembly is bolted in the back is the main anchor pointfor the entire reactor. As the heated airlock feeder expands due to theheat it expands lengthwise. To address the expansion, this apparatus issupported with a cart 60 of FIG. 2 to allow the machine to expand,without creating stress on the supports. Existing prior art applicationsused shorter sections that are bolted together and constructed from avery thick material to absorb the heat. In the disclosed embodiment, theexemplary design utilizes a thinner material for better heat transferbut requires a moveable support system.

The solid, shredded plastic material (environmental temperature) is fedinto the heated airlock feeder at 56 of FIG. 2 , the heat is applied at61 of FIG. 2 , and the heated plastic material which is in a moltenstate is created from the solid shredded plastic material (environmentaltemperature) at where 51 connects to 52 of FIG. 2 . The connection of 51to 52 provides a continuous auger located inside 53 which are locatedinside 61. The airlock is created at the end 52 of FIG. 2 from the backpressure from the solid, shredded plastic material (environmentaltemperature) pushing on it.

This apparatus is used to induce heated plastic material into the mainreactor and act as an airlock at the same time. By applying backpressure on the fed plastic material, between the solid, shreddedplastic material and melting material (molten plastic material), a deadspot depicted in FIG. 2 at 52 is created. At 52 there are no flights onthe shaft. This dead spot created by this process, depicted on FIG. 2 at52, allows molten plastic material to build up pressure by the incomingsolid, shredded plastic material (environmental temperature) being fedinto the apparatus at 56 on FIG. 2 . This area 52 also has a largershaft area, which fills the void between 52 and 53. This larger shaftincreases the pressure inside creating an airlock effect. The dischargeof the airlock feeder is also restricted at 54 on FIG. 2 by the twoopenings that are greatly reduced in size compared to the opening wherethe solid, shredded plastic material (environmental temperature) is fedat 56 in FIG. 2 . When the feeder is shut down, the plastic materialremains inside the feeder in area at 52 in FIG. 2 because even as thefeeder augers at 51 on FIG. 2 continue to rotate, the plastic materialwill not be pushed out from the housing at 53 on FIG. 2 . The reason forthis is because the heated molten plastic material is only pushed outwhen new solid, shredded plastic material (environmental temperature) isintroduced. The incoming plastic material creates pressure and forcesthe molten plastic material in area 52 to be displaced. This means thatwhen the airlock feeder cools off, the remaining plastic material willturn to a solid and seal until the next run. When the next run occurs,this plastic material will melt when reheated and allow the augers at 51on FIG. 2 to rotate.

The disclosed apparatus also heats plastic materials to a vapor andliquid state with a clamshell burner at 61 on FIG. 2 . The heatingsource for this airlock feeder may comprise a plurality of clamshellheaters FIG. 2 at 61 through 65. In the exemplary embodiment illustratedin FIG. 2 , these two clamshell heater boxes produce the heat needed tomake the airlock seal and start the vaporization of the plastic insidethe feeder. The plastic material is heated from the discharge end tomid-way of the airlock feeder. By having two heater zones, the materialis transformed from a liquid state on one end, to the shredded state onthe other. Between this transition, exists a molten plastic material.This molten plastic is thick and sticky and forms the needed pressure tocreate an airlock affect. This clamshell boxes come in contact with theairlock feeder with the seal 63 of FIG. 2 . This allows for greaterexpansion of the housing 53 of FIG. 4 from the clamshell fire boxesbecause of boxes are insulated on the inside, not allowing the metal toexpand as on the outside. The heated airlock feeder has two clamshellbox burners. One box covers 52 of FIG. 2 of the internal auger, and theother heats the auger at 51 of the auger. The advantage of two clamshellheater box burners is demonstrated on startup and shutdown of thereactor. Allowing the auger 51 of FIG. 2 to cool to a point that aplastic seals is achieved to create the airlock needed for start-up ashut down. The molten plastic cools into a solid around the auger andthe housing, sealing off the feeder. The ability to cool rapidly is alsoa big advantage of using clamshell heaters. The burners' flame can beextinguished and the fans may continue to run to cool the housing 53 ofFIG. 4 .

The clamshell burner boxes are used as the heated airlock feederrequires a continuous even supply of heat to produce molten plastic. Thecorrect amount of controlled heat is vital to the process for consistentmaterial flow. Processes of this nature require heat from alldirections. The need for high velocity airflow in a circular box wouldsuffice for this process. Heater boxes with process structurespenetrating through the box will also require a seal system to preventleaks. Expansion of the penetrating structure in both length anddiameter was considered in this design. The ability to both heat andcool is required in this process. The penetrating structure needssupport capability to prevent damage to the heater box seals. Thepenetrating structure (pipe or tube) would need to be supported outsidethe heater boxes. Due to heat expansion on the penetrating structure amobile support is required. The requirement for controlling theexpansion direction is also needed to prevent warping of the penetratingstructure and deflection that would damage the heater box sealsrequiring a controlled support system to restrict deflection in thedirection that might damage the equipment. Furnace heater boxes are usedin many processes to produce heat required for incinerating, cooking,melting, and for other heat required processes. When a cylinder or tubepenetrates a heater box, problems with uneven heating, seal leakage andexpansion may occur. Also the need to access the penetrating tube andpipe is required. A clamshell design was implemented for these reasons.The clamshell design allowed for a circular shape to match the profileof the penetrating pipe or tube. This close profile along with highvelocity airflow ensures even heating around the penetrating pipe. Theclamshell design has a very low profile interior to reduce the amount ofspace between the heat source and the penetrating pipe surface,increasing the heat transfer without increasing the BTU value requiredby a burner system. Compared to a standard burner box where a burner isattached on one side of the box at a distance not allowing an open flameto come into contact with the penetrating pipe, this design uses verysmall flame points to distribute the heat one third of the way aroundthe penetrating pipe. This reduces the total BTU value. This designcombines both types of heat, convection and radiant, producing an evenheat source around the penetrating pipe.

A perforated screen 61 a of FIG. 2 was used that distributes the gasfuel and controls the flame height while allowing airflow through theheater box. A shelf burner package may be used to supply both the gasand air mixture for igniting. The difference in this system is theigniting source is inside clamshell burner box next to the perforatedscreen. A flame sensor is used to ensure ignition and a fan pressureswitch is used to ensure airflow. Dual gases can be used by adjustingthe gas quantity or the air quantity. Existing systems use complicatedair control dampers to adjust the air to gas ratio, causing unevenburning of the fuel creating irregular flame size. The air velocity andpressure must be at a fixed rate to insure the mix gas exits theperforated holes as needed as not to allow for the mix gas to igniteunder the perforated screen. This design overcomes this problem bystopping the gas flow and allowing the air to continue when thetemperature is over a given set-point. When the system cools, lowset-point gases are allowed back into the mix and reignited. Thiscontrol is achieved, such as, with a standard PIO controller withthermocouples to indicate internal temperatures. The clamshell designallows for access to the refractory liner that is installed only on thetop half of the clamshell. All known heater boxes are normally linedwith refractory on all surfaces. The lower half of this clamshell has norefractory liner, allowing any heat buildup to dissipate through the boxsurface and it ensures that the surface temperature remains below theauto ignite point. The perforated screen acts as a pressure regulatorbetween the mixed gas and the flame above. This chamber is being fedwith ambient air and mixed gas, both at ambient temperature. This keepsthe lower half of the clamshell cooler. Without refractory on the lowerclamshell, refractory replacement is not needed. The radiant heat fromthe flame is not in contact with the bottom portion of the penetratingtube 53 of FIG. 2 .

The airflow from the burner forces air around the penetrating tocarrying heat completely around the penetrating to because of naturaldisturbance. The movement of this air regulates the radiant heat surfaceof the penetrating tube by pulling excessive heat into the airstreamforcing the air around the penetrating tube through an exhaust port. Theperforated screen has small flames running the entire length and onethird around the penetrating tube. This prevents hotspots that normallyoccur in burner boxes. By heating the penetrating tube in all directionsexpansion occurs in all directions. To prevent deflection ormisalignment of the penetrating tube while being heated, the expansiondirection is controlled with a support system. The support attaches tothe expansion tube and prevents movement from unwanted directions. Thecart consists of cam followers that are pinched between two structuralflat bars, one on each side of the cart. The cart width is designed sothat it is within one-eighth of an inch in between the width of the twostructural flat bars so that it drops between the structural flat barsand ensures lateral movement. The cam followers (rollers) support theweight of the penetrating tube while preventing it from expanding up ordown. This allows for the control of expansion direct action is in alateral movement only.

Continuing with FIG. 2 , typical pipe support rollers allow expansion inmultiple directions. This design restricts expansion to lateral movementonly keeping the penetrating tube from misaligning. The assembly ismounted on a steel skid mount frame 67. The clamshell heater boxesconsist of an upper 61 and lower 64 sections. These sections areconnected with a matching bolted flange and a seal chamber 63 thatencompasses the penetrating tube. The gas air inlet box is mounted onthe bottom section 64 to allow air gas mix into the lower section. Thelower section has a perforated metal screen 64 a welded approximately 3inches above the lower section 64. This acts as an air chamber todistribute mixed air and gas through the perforated screen. The amountand diameter of the holes in the perforated screen are vital to controlthe flame height while allowing the volume of gas and air mix to passthrough. The lower clamshell 64 also has an air mixture box 65 and theburner connection port 65 a connected to it. The mixer box 65 has aflared configuration to distribute the air gas mix evenly under theperforated screen 64 a. The mixer box 65 creates some back pressure tothe air gas mixture which ensures a consistent gas air ratio for eachopening in the perforated screen 64 a.

A burner can be connected to the port 65 a. The burner igniter, alongwith the flame indicator, is located to the top of the perforated screen64 a. An access pipe 64 b is used to penetrate through both the lowerclamshell 64 and the perforated screen 64 a, for an igniter and for theflame sensor 64 c to be mounted. A continuous pilot light 64 c isinstalled through this pipe and stops above the perforated screen 64 a.The pilot light proof of flame is required to indicate a flame ispresent until gas is allowed into the air gas mixture. When the heat setpoint is reached the gas alone, from the air gas mixture, ceases whilethe fan continues to run and push fresh air through the burner box. Thepilot light continues to run in this phase of the heating process.Control of the heat is used with a PID controller. This controller isfed by thermocouples located on the top clamshell 61. A wide range oftemperatures can be achieved and controlled with this type of process.The ability to switch between fuel gases is also possible with thisdesign. Two sets of solenoid valves located on the burner 65 b and haveadjustable orifices to allow a fixed amount of gas to enter into aconsistent amount of air. Natural gas mixed with air requires adifferent air mix ratio then syn-gas would require with the same airvolume. Adjustment of the fixed orifices allow for switching between thegases. The expansion of the penetrating tube 53 is controlled by thecart support 60. This cart consists of heavy metal plate construction,resting between two flat bar retainers 60 b that are welded to a frame67. This allows the cam followers to roll on a smooth surface,preventing up and down movement. The cart width is only 118″ less thanthe space between the flat bars 60 c, preventing side to side movementand up and down movement while allowing left to right movement only.

By preheating and vaporizing the plastic biomass material under positivepressure and high heat, the main reactor depicted in FIG. 1 is shortenedby about 40 feet to acquire the same performance as a standard reactorsection would do. This reduces the reactor (FIG. 1 ) expansion lengthalong with the auger FIG. 2 . This reduction in size increases thetorque in this area as the auger is shorter. The auger on the upperreactor depicted in FIG. 1 is where the most torque is required due tothe large amount of liquid plastic contained within the reactor. Thefurther the plastic travels down the reactor depicted in FIG. 1 , themore plastic material is converted to vapor and the less the auger hasto work.

The burner boxes depicted in FIG. 2 at 61 are in two sections. Thisallows for controlled heat zones. This control is needed to maintain theairlock effect during startup and shut down of the reactor. As thereactor heats up, it will start to build pressure inside. This pressurewill look for a way out of the reactor. First is the heated reactorfeeder that is the apparatus that is the subject of this patentapplication depicted in FIG. 2 and the second and third areas where thepressure may leave the system is at the ash/char discharge 400 (FIG. 1 )and at the and the char separator 300 depicted in FIG. 3 . The ash/chardischarge 400 is a seal with slide gates preventing vapor loss. The charseparator 300 depicted in FIG. 3 allows the vapors to be removed, asdescribed below.

Advantages of the disclosed embodiments allow for the absorption of charcontained within vapor that is leaving the reactor. The char, or carbonash, that the disclosed apparatus allows for its absorption is createdwhen the shredded plastic that enters the reactor makes contact with thereactor's hot surface area. As the shredded plastic makes contact withthe reactor's hot surface, it is thinly spread across the surface of thereactor and heat from the reactor vaporizes the shredded plastic bydesign.

A thin layer of the shredded plastic, as well as the contaminantscontained within the shredded plastic, is left behind on the reactor'ssteel tubing and as is cooked to a solid char which then becomesairborne. Small particles of char, e.g., approximately 3 microns orsmaller, become airborne and travel with the fuel vapors. This char iscollected with the vapors and condensed into a liquid in highconcentrations and makes the produced fuel a substantially, and in somecases, an extremely thick liquid, because the char is a solidparticulate contained within the liquid. This particular carbon char isrequired to be removed from the fuel in order to produce a higherquality fuel.

In one exemplary embodiment, the char separator of the disclosedapplication not only addresses but substantially eliminates the problemsof the prior art, as discussed above. Turning to FIG. 3 , char separator300 consists of a plurality of screw-type conveyor augers 76 running ina vertical split tube 75 that are placed so that their respectiveflights intersect with each other. Vertical split tube 75 may beregarded as a support tube structure for accommodating and providing adegree of protection to additional structures, as described below. Inone disclosed embodiment, three screw conveyor augers 76 are utilized inwithin vertical split tube 75. Augers 76 may comprise stainless steel ofany grade. Augers 76 provide for a downward rotation, cleaning eachother from buildup as their flights intersect. As the hot vapors leavethe reactor and enter the vertical split tube 75, they travel upwardlytherein. The vapors lose heat as they rise up vertical split tube 75.The temperature in the column is controlled so that the favoredhydrocarbon chain vapors pass through vertical split tube 75 and leavevertical split tube 75 at the discharge 73 where the vapors arecollected. As the vapors rise and the temperature of the vapors isreduced to the value at where a high carbon chain fuel will condense, itwill collect on the augers 76 where augers 76 will push the condensedfuel back to the reactor. The temperature of the vapor is dependent on aset point of the reactor which may vary in accordance with achieving aprescribed fuel boiling point(s). For example, in an exemplaryembodiment, the vapor set point temperature may be established atapproximately 700 F-800 F. The flow pattern of the vapors through charseparator 300 generally follows the auger profile of the three augers 76as it rises through the unit before it is exhausted.

The condensed hydrocarbon fuel is a sticky substance and may begenerally classified as a heavy tar with carbon particles. The vaporsflowing in vertical split tube 75 will travel across the stickyhydrocarbon fuel condensed on augers 76 where the sticky substance willcatch the carbon ash that is traveling with the vapors as the carbon ashis constantly looking for a substance to which to make contact. Thecollected mass on augers 76 is then forced down into a lower reactor(e.g., separate system, not shown) where it returns to the reactor'sheat returns to a heat zones through the discharge flange 77. Thecollected mass is then reheated in the lower reactor (e.g., separatesystem, not shown) of the re-useable fuel apparatus in which itvaporizes, breaking high carbon chains into lower carbon chains. Thelower carbon chain material will then travel back through vertical splittube 75 and any carbon ash that travels with it will stick again toaugers 76 and be returned and any lower carbon vapors will pass throughvertical split tube 75 and be discharged from exhaust port 73 as cleanvapor, for example, ultimately to a fuel cooling system. Thus, the cleanvapor can be routed through a distillation column and/or a condensingunit in order to condense or cool down the condensable part of the vaporstream back to a liquid. The condensed liquid forms a diesel fuel carbonchain hydrocarbon which is an end product of the entire process.

The amount of heat rise in vertical split tube 75 can be controlled byboth the RPM of the augers and the outside insulation of the column. Forexample, the column can be insulated by lagging on the outside to hinderheat dissipation to the surrounding. A drive system is provided toenable augers 76 within vertical split tube 75. The drive system mayinclude an auger gearbox drive 68 that utilizes gearing to drive andcontrol augers 76. In one embodiment, auger gearbox drive 68 utilizesspur gears to control the rotation and timing of the augers 76. Bycontrolling the heat in vertical split tube 75 the carbon-chainhydrocarbon fuel selected by the heat value chosen will be allowed topass through. Vapors comprised of condensable and non-condensablehydrocarbons can be cleaned of carbon char by the char separator 300,since the augers 76 can be configured to rotate against the vapor flow.By adjustment of ample speed, various parameters can be achieved towardsa desired point or outcome.

Construction of vertical split tube 75 may consists of a plurality ofsplit tubes. In one disclosed embodiment, three split tubes 75 may beutilized to encircle the augers, for example, as a prescribedgeometrical shape such as a clover design in a final assembly depictedin FIG. 3 . A clover design shape is utilized by select embodiments,because the augers 76 need to mesh into each other so that self-cleaningcan be achieved. While a clover design is illustrated in FIG. 3 , it isreadily appreciated that any design shape suitable for providing anenclosed supported structure may be utilized in the disclosed embodimentas necessary. Accordingly one skilled in the art may utilize more thanthree augers 76 with accompanying different shapes to form an overallouter tube around the same. The shape is welded together and supportedwith a plurality of outer support bands or rings 78 to keep and maintainthe overall shape of three split tubes 75 thereby keeping the assembledsplit tube structure intact throughout exposure to and/or due to heatwarping.

Gearbox drives 68 may be accommodated within/throughout gearbox housing69, to drive screw augers 76 via connected drive shafts of the screwaugers 76. In one disclosed embodiment, gearbox housing 69 is designedwith a packing seal space or air gap 70 disposed within gearbox housing69, as further described below. Gearbox housing 69 may also comprise asupport flange and seal 71 for connecting to an exhaust housing 72,detailed below.

A connecting flange 74 may be provided at one end of vertical split tube75. An exhaust system provided as exhaust housing 72 having acorresponding attachment flange 74 a at one end may be provided toattach to connecting flange 74 to provide a final connection. In theillustrated exemplary embodiment, exhaust port 73 is disposed in a sideof exhaust housing 72. Another corresponding attachment flange 71 a maybe provided at another end of exhaust housing 72 for providing a finalcorresponding connection with support flange and seal 71 of gearboxhousing 69. Vertical split tube 75 may provide a discharge flange 77 atanother end configured for connection with, for example, another reactor(e.g., separate system, not shown). A plurality of support rings 78 maybe disposed at intermediate points along a length of vertical split tube75 to provide support thereto and facilitate maintaining an outerperipheral shape of vertical split tube 75. The inner periphery of eachsupport ring 78 may correspond to an outer peripheral shape of verticalsplit tube 75.

A thermal expansion system is provided as an expansion cart or rollingcart 79. Expansion cart 79 may be provided with cam followers 80. In ondisclosed embodiment expansion cart 79 is disposed around a section ofvertical split tube 75. In some select embodiments, vertical split tube75 may be secured to expansion art 79 (such as via a welded connection).As further described below, expansion cart 79 is employed and designedto support char separator 300 in connection with the support structureof re-usable energy reactor system 100. In addition, while supportingchar separator 300, expansion cart 79 allows movement of char separator300 in accordance with any thermal expansion or contraction of thesupport structure of re-usable energy reactor system 100 due totemperature fluctuations.

The discharge gases are expected to be over 500 degrees Fahrenheit andmay overheat the gear box 69. To prevent the gearbox oil fromoverheating a ventilation system is provided as an air gap 70 andtherefore serves as a design feature in the unit to allow venting.Vertical split tube 75 is attached to the lower reactor and isconfigured to travel or move in accordance with and to accommodate anythermal expansion of the reactor. To do so, an expansion cart or rollingcart 79 is disposed generally at a top of vertical split tube 75.Expansion cart or rolling cart 79 is further configured in supportedrelation along an exterior structure such as the framing of a re-usableenergy reactor system 100 (FIG. 1 ). In one exemplary disclosedembodiment, rolling cart 79 is configured with wheels received bycorresponding tracks disposed, for example, along an accommodatingstructure of re-usable energy reactor system 100. The tracks maycomprise a rigid design sufficient to accommodate the weight of charseparator 300. Since the char handler is bolted directly to the bottomreactor (which expands, contracts or elongates due to temperaturefluctuations) as the reactor expands, rolling cart 79 can roll on itsassociated wheels in accordance with any thermal expansion to cater toexpansion in a prescribed direction.

Where the column attaches to re-usable energy reactor system 100, thatsection of the reactor is smaller in diameter and uses a ribbon typeflight to allow for faster removal of solids while allowing vapors topass back through the ribbon flights. This section has a reverserotation to the main auger located within the reactor where the mainauger is pushing any dry char or heavy fuel deposits towards the chardischarge. This section of the main reactor has two controlled heatedzones that will re-heat and help in thermal cracking the high carbonchains that are pushed back into the main reactor by char separator 300.

Advantages of the disclosed design provide a modular construction forquick shop assembly and quick installation. Disclosed embodiments allowfor easy maintenance in the field. The disclosed modular design can becompletely assembled and tested in the shop.

Having described the many embodiments of the present invention indetail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations arepossible without departing from the scope of the invention defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that allexamples in the present disclosure, while illustrating many embodimentsof the invention, are provided as non-limiting examples and are,therefore, not to be taken as limiting the various aspects soillustrated.

All documents, patents, journal articles and other materials cited inthe present application are incorporated herein by reference.

While the present invention has been disclosed with references tocertain embodiments, numerous modification, alterations, and changes tothe described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphereand scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined by thelanguage of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of cleaning carbon char from vaporscomprising: providing an elongate support body having first and secondends; receiving a quantity of vapor comprising condensable andnon-condensable hydrocarbons, lower carbon vapors and carbon charthrough an inlet at the second end of the support body, forming a vaporflow running from the second end to the first end of the support body;rotating a plurality of augers disposed within the support body againstthe vapor flow, wherein flights of each of the plurality of augersintersect each other; discharging lower carbon vapors from a firstoutlet positioned at the first end of the support body; and dischargingat least a portion of the carbon char from a second outlet positioned atthe second end of the support body.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: in the support body, condensing at least a portion of thecondensable hydrocarbons into a high carbon chain fuel; driving at leasta portion of the high carbon chain fuel in a direction opposite thevapor flow with the plurality of augers; heating the high carbon chainfuel until it vaporizes to break high carbon chains into lower carbonchains to produce low carbon vapor; and discharging the low carbon vaporfrom the first outlet of the support body.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the temperature is controlled to manipulate the vapor flow ofcondensable and non-condensable hydrocarbons.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein the support body is oriented such that the vapor flow isvertical.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the vapor flow is configuredto run upwards in the support body; and wherein the high carbon chainfuel is configured to flow downwards in the support body.
 6. The methodof claim 4, wherein the support body is arranged as a plurality of splittubes.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of split tubes isarranged in a clover shape.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the theplurality of augers are disposed vertically within the plurality ofsplit tubes.
 9. The method of claim 2, further comprising controllingthe temperature by adjusting a rotation speed of the plurality of augersor an outside insulation of the support body.
 10. The method of claim 2,further comprising vaporizing a carbon-based material in a reactor togenerate the vapor flow of condensable and non-condensable hydrocarbons.11. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting a temperatureof at least two controlled heating zones of the reactor.
 12. The methodof claim 11, further comprising expelling discharge gases at over 500degrees Fahrenheit from the reactor.
 13. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: providing an exhaust system connected to the support body;and expelling discharge gases from the reactor through the exhaustsystem.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: providing agearbox housing having an upper portion, a lower portion and aventilation system disposed in between the upper portion and the lowerportion; providing a drive system configured to rotate the plurality ofaugers; wherein the lower portion is connected to the exhaust system,and the drive system is positioned in the gearbox housing; andpositioning the ventilation system entirely within the structure of thegearbox housing, wherein the ventilation system comprises an air gap.